The first step to success is setting goals, the second step is achieving them. Usually most of us fail to reach the intended goal not because of lack of desire, but due to unexpected obstacles and set backs. This article will show how Coaching For Overcoming Obstacles To Achieving Goals can help lead to success.
How we perceive and handle obstacles will determine the course of action and can seriously affect whether or not we reach our goals.
The 3 Types of Obstacles
For simplicity sake, there are three types of obstacles most people face on their paths to their goals. There are environmental, personal, and social.
They have their own unique sets of challenges, and getting through these using coaching for overcoming obstacles will keep us on the paths to success.
Environmental Obstacles
These are often unexpected circumstances we have very little control over.
As such it is difficult to deal with them in optimal ways because of being unprepared.
Yet with research and planning, good and effective contingency plans will help get over these obstacles in positive and conclusive ways.
There is the famous Murphy’s Law. It states: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong at the worst possible time, all of the time when you least expect it.
To help negate things that could go wrong, think about future contingency planning. Planning gives a better understanding of possible scenarios and obstacles and therefore any resources needed to overcome these environmental obstacles. There are questions to ask:
- What potential environmental obstacles could arise as I work toward my goals?
- What plans can be sued to overcome these obstacles?
- On the journey to achieving goals, how do I minimize the obstacle’s effects?
To help prepare yourself, allow yourself to expand your thinking and use hindsight, foresight, and insight while planning for possible decisions.
Personal Obstacles
These are related to our behaviour and state-of-mind, and typically include bad habits, negative emotions, and limiting beliefs.
How these circumstances are interpreted is the reason we are prevented from overcoming the obstacle and moving forward. We often dwell far too long on an aspect of the obstacle and in doing so we prevent ourselves from making objective decisions.
Subsequently our poor choices can mean we perform sub-optimally and success apparently becomes more distant. We can literally sabotage our best choices and behaviour.
Here are a few personal obstacles and you can research out the topics if they are of specific interest to you:
- Lack of patience
- Lack of discipline
- Lack of knowledge and skills
- Lack of desire and passion
- Fear of change
- Fear of failure
- Procrastination
- Perfectionism
- Pessimistic thoughts
- Not taking responsibility
- Too many excuses
If you think obstacles are currently hindering your progress, and you’re using coaching for overcoming obstacles, ask yourself:
- What personal obstacles am I typically coming across?
- How are the obstacles coming in to my life?
- Why do I fall to these obstacles? Is there a when, where or time aspect?
- How do personal obstacles stop me from reaching my goals?
- How do I remove these obstacles in the best way?
A very practical way when considering how to work through any obstacle is to take control of the way you think, observing your thoughts and objectively plan your best course of action.
Social Obstacles
These are related to people who, when you are working with them, they do not cooperate, sabotage, or are incompetent and unable to do the task at hand.
When thinking about social obstacles , it is necessary to do a little bit of forward planning, making sure you clarify your needs, knowledge, skill sets and directions clearly.
When dealing with people you need to work with to achieve your goals it is key to develop good strong relationships, especially with those you must rely on.
- Therefore, ask yourself:
- What support, from who, do I need?
- Who is slowing me down from reaching my goal and how?
- Is it possible to change the relationship to be aligned with my goals?
- How can I build productive relationships in my life?
When influencing people around you, it is better to understand their needs, motives, and desires. Then you’ll be much better able to successfully improve the chances of overcoming the various social obstacles that arise.
Questions To Ask To Help Using Coaching For Overcoming Obstacles
Many people have little or no idea what to do, where to begin or how to move forward when dealing with obstacles. Often most will struggle to and fail to start again when their goals start to seem to be falling apart.
A life coach, when using coaching for overcoming obstacles, will typically ask questions that will help their clients shift how they think about their circumstances and the obstacle in their path.
Questions such as these below will help uncover more profound insights and understandings. And they will unlock hidden strength and resources that they didn’t realise they had.
- Question the problem:
- What indications are there this is a problem?
- Do you know this is accurate?
- How did it start?
- Why does this problem continue?
- Identify the details of the problem:
- How and When and Where did this problem?
- Did it occur with anyone else?
- Explore the consequences of having this problem:
- What happens if it is ignored?
- When could the problem get worse?
- What affect does it have on you and others?
- How does this affect life?
- Could resolving the problem lead to other problems?
- Take control of your behaviour:
- What behaviours can you control?
- What parts of the problem can/cannot you control?
- How can you respond to problems you can’t control?
- Can you adapt to all the things not in your control?
- Identify the things you would like to keep:
- What are the good things happening?
- What things would you like to continue happening?
- Gain proper perspective on the situation:
- What assumptions about this problem do you have?
- Are your assumptions making the problem worse?
- Is there another perspective to consider?
- Has anyone overcome this problem?
- What can you learn to help overcome your problem?
- Expand your options:
- What could you do differently?
- Who could help you solve this problem?
- Are there places for a solution you haven’t looked?
- How will you know when the problem is overcome?
It is intended that these questions will help you gain more clarity about any obstacles currently face in your unique journeys to your goals.
Greater insight and understanding to your circumstances will come from gaining greater clarity to them. You’ll then be able to resolves them in more resourceful ways, keeping optimally moving towards your goals.
7 Ideas to Help Overcome Toughest Obstacles
It is easy to become overwhelmed when facing your toughest obstacles, especially when they are unfamiliar and you have little experience dealing with them. Always keep in mind that you have many different options. There are many ways you can think about the same problem, many actions to take and decisions to take, all to help keep you focused on achieving your goals. When using coaching For overcoming obstacles, here are seven questions to start with .
Ask Effective Questions
The example above hopefully helped show the power of questions and how important it is to ask effective questions. New insights and perspectives will always be gained.
Additionally spend time thinking about what initial questions to ask and their subsequent follow-up questions once a thread has been started. These subsequent questions will provide deeper insights into the nature of the problem and any potential solutions.
Emotionally Step Back
When unexpected obstacles appear, it’s easy to lose our emotional composure. It can be reasoned that, for the most part, often our emotional responses are not that productive, and possibly don’t help the situation.
Instead calming our overly emotional and immediate responses will help us see situations in objective and logical ways. Being calm and collected is when we grasp our circumstances and obstacles and can begin to learn the actual real relevance and significance
Assess The Obstacle Honestly
It is important to be intellectually honest in order to overcome any obstacle. First understand how it came in your life and then ask yourself:
What went wrong?
What caused this?
What must plans and actions should I do now?
The imperative is to learn from experience and use it to build an optimal course of action.
Look For The Right Guidance
When overcoming an obstacle, sometimes we need help from outside sources.
There are probably many people who have already dealt with and successfully overcome the circumstances you might be facing.
When you don’t have the answers or resources, then the best course of action is to approach these people. So seek out your mentors, life coaches and experts to help you achieve your goals.
Get Priorities In Order
Sometimes, because our priorities are out of order it becomes impossible to overcome certain obstacles.
Considering the value gained from acquiring the knowledge and skills required to achieve goals, this is especially relevant.
At its base level, it can basically mean committing to lifelong learning and self education.
When you start learning and acquiring the knowledge and skills needed, life’s problems are more effectively worked through. This will enable you to get your your priorities in order.
List The Options
Sometimes, obstacles can have the effect of constricting positive mental thought and limiting possible perspectives of the situation.
Then, quick realisation must be made that only when we explore other possibilities and scenarios solutions are discovered.
To do this, quietly sit down and ask yourself repeatability:
How can I overcome this obstacle?
What options haven’t I considered?
The greater the options the greater the opportunities for finding an answer to the problem. You must first understand how to turn these options into opportunities and only then is it possible to optimally solve the problem.
Don’t Quit!
No matter what happens do not quit. A champion is only a champion because they got up one more time than their competition. It can be said the greatest opportunities in your life are always intertwined with significant struggles.
Perseverance, tenacity and persistence, consistent and massive action are what is often needed overcome life’s biggest obstacles.
Final Thoughts
Frank A. Clark knew all about obstacles when he said:
If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.
Obstacles can be thought of as “things” to learn from and strengthen our resolve for the us for the journey ahead.
Are they insurmountable problems preventing us from achieving our goals, or stepping stones that are required “tests” we need to pass to obtain successful outcomes and reach our goals?
A final thought would be to always take time to learn from the lessons in our life. They are invaluable to achieving meaningful success in life’s never-ending journey.
If you want to know more how Coaching For Overcoming Obstacles can help achieve success, visit the Life Coaching Page and book a Free First Life Coaching session.
